Mussels and barnacles, a pain in the intake!

[rogerstown]

I have a Volvo saildrive and it is usual to get a bit of blockage each season by August. I can usually clear this somewhat with a bit of blowing and poking down the inlet hose. I found this difficult to do this year. On lifting out this weekend I found the amount of mussels and barnacles around and in the cooling water intake worst I ever seen. No doubt the great summer as fouling generally seemed really bad.

Now I’m thinking about ways to remedy this. The best solution would be to by-pass the leg completely and fit a through hull intake, but that maybe is the last resort. I wonder has anybody ever tried to clean the intake duct in the saildrive with a mild acid like citric acid. I’m thinking of this dissolving any shells and leaving the inside surface clean enough so I could fill with anti foul which I would drain before it began to harden.

Maybe this is a mad idea but I’m sure there are others who have experienced this problem and have some more practical solutions they would be willing to share.

 

[Habebty]

My boat had the saildrive intake bypassed from new. A seacock with a vertical hose and raw water filter at the top is easy to rod out in the event of blockage.

 

[youen]

I have a Volvo saildrive and it is usual to get a bit of blockage each season by August. I can usually clear this somewhat with a bit of blowing and poking down the inlet hose. I found this difficult to do this year. On lifting out this weekend I found the amount of mussels and barnacles around and in the cooling water intake worst I ever seen. No doubt the great summer as fouling generally seemed really bad.

Now I’m thinking about ways to remedy this. The best solution would be to by-pass the leg completely and fit a through hull intake, but that maybe is the last resort. I wonder has anybody ever tried to clean the intake duct in the saildrive with a mild acid like citric acid. I’m thinking of this dissolving any shells and leaving the inside surface clean enough so I could fill with anti foul which I would drain before it began to harden.

Maybe this is a mad idea but I’m sure there are others who have experienced this problem and have some more practical solutions they would be willing to share.

Please how do you poke the inlet hose being afloat .Thanks

 

[PabloPicasso]

Do not use copper based anti foul on a Volvo sail drive leg. A garuntee for corrosion woes. I mechanically cleaned the water intake with a dowel, primed with a pipe cleaner from my kids art set, and sprayed an anti foul using non-copper A/F in a spray can. Don't breath this in. Not had a problem since

I think it was jotun or prop-o-drive A/F in a spray can and the appropriate primer. Oh yes, did I mention DONT USE COPPER BASED A/F ON ALUMINIUM SAILDRIVE!

 

[rogerstown]

Please how do you poke the inlet hose being afloat .Thanks

Hi Youen, The inlet valve connected to filter by hose. The filter is above the water line, I remove the hose from filter and poke down with a strong length of steel wire (coat hanger) through the hose into the sail-drive leg, holding the top of the hose up above the water line. When I think I have dislodged some of the barnacles I blow through, this takes a bit of effort but you know you are getting somewhere by the sound of the bubbles going up the side of the hull.

 

[PabloPicasso]

Hi Youen, The inlet valve connected to filter by hose. The filter is above the water line, I remove the hose from filter and poke down with a strong length of steel wire (coat hanger) through the hose into the sail-drive leg, holding the top of the hose up above the water line. When I think I have dislodged some of the barnacles I blow through, this takes a bit of effort but you know you are getting somewhere by the sound of the bubbles going up the side of the hull.

Very ingenious. I like it

 

[rogerstown]

Do not use copper based anti foul on a Volvo sail drive leg. A garuntee for corrosion woes. I mechanically cleaned the water intake with a dowel, primed with a pipe cleaner from my kids art set, and sprayed an anti foul using non-copper A/F in a spray can. Don't breath this in. Not had a problem since

I think it was jotun or prop-o-drive A/F in a spray can and the appropriate primer. Oh yes, did I mention DONT USE COPPER BASED A/F ON ALUMINIUM SAILDRIVE!

That sounds good and worth a try Pablo. I try and clean inside the leg with a multi core copper wire, the cores turned out like an old fashioned chimney brush. Then I spray primer and prop-o-drive A/F through the inlet holes as best as I can. But I don't think I'm really getting it clean enough to give the A/F a chance to adhere properly to the inside of the leg . The pipe cleaner will clean weed and slime does it have any effect on the shells. That said I going back to a polished prop next year as the prop-o-drive does not seem to be working.

 

[yerffoeg]

I have an ultrasonic antifoul system : crustaceans never settle on my hull or stern gear. It is less good for weed.